President releases a set of eight Commemorative Postage Stamps on Indian Musicians
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee released a set of eight
Commemorative Postage Stamps on Indian Musicians at a function held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan today (September 3, 2014).
The set of stamps brought out by the Department of Posts feature
luminaries in the field of classical Indian music namely Pandit Ravi
Shankar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Ms. D.K. Pattammal, Pandit Mallikarjun
Mansur, Ms. Gangubai Hangal, Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Ustad Vilayat Khan
and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
Speaking on the occasion, the President stated that as we pay tribute
to eight of the greatest music maestros of contemporary India, we
celebrate their life and work and their matchless legacy. These eight
maestros are, without a doubt, among the tallest luminaries in the
history of world music. They have not only achieved personal perfection
but have made extraordinary contributions, in their respective fields,
to the development and evolution of the schools of music in which their
talents were nurtured and honed. Their contribution and its enrichment
of our cultural heritage cannot be quantified or estimated. It is
infinite in its resonance and their names will be mentioned with great
reverence. Their music will be cherished by the young and old, for many
decades to come.
